John Ericsson

John Ericsson (31 July 1803-8 March 1889) was a Swedish-American inventor who oversaw the construction of USS Monitor, the first armored ship with a rotating turret.

Biography
John Ericsson was born in Langbanshyttan, Varmland, Sweden in 1803, and he became a surveyor at the age of 14 and served in the Swedish Army as a second lieutenant. He invented several steam-based mechanisms during the 1820s and 1830s, collaborating on the design of the steam locomotive Novelty. After his propeller design impressed US Navy captain Robert F. Stockton, Ericsson moved to the United States from England and settled in New York City. He designed the steam frigate USS Princeton, the first screw-propelled US Navy ship, but Stockton unjustly blamed him for a fatal accident, leaving Ericsson with a hatred of the Navy due to the Navy's refusal to pay him. However, during the American Civil War, he partnered with DeLamater Iron Works and designed USS Monitor, the first armored Navy ship with a rotating turret, leading to the Union victory at the Battle of Hampton Roads in 1862 and the obsoletion of every other country's navy. He died on 8 March 1889, the anniversary of Hampton Roads, and he was given a 21-salute by the US Navy when he was taken back to Sweden for burial.